When Wayland Baptist University graduate Jessica Young walked across the stage last month to accept her college diploma, she already had her future mapped out—at least for the next year--in Mombasa, Kenya.

Five years ago, after a 23-year career in environmental management, Cyndi Levesque of San Antonio began thinking about retiring early and pursuing a new vocation. She enrolled in a Christian ministry degree program at Wayland Baptist University’s San Antonio campus and now teaches English writing and speaking classes to students on the campus of Guangxi University in China.

A student at East Texas Baptist University was killed in a two-vehicle wreck just east of Hallsville on U.S. Highway 80 Jan. 15. Senior Jessica Teutsch, age 21, of Haughton, La., was traveling to her student teaching assignment at Hallsville Junior High when the fatal crash occurred.

So far, enough Texas Baptist churches have stepped forward to ensure that each household in a dozen Texas counties has a Scripture presentation. Organizers of Texas Hope 2010 want to find enough leaders to head Bible distribution efforts in 242 more counties.

When 21-year-old Matt Williams transferred to Texas Tech University last August, he was just excited about making new friends and getting involved at First Baptist Church. But after winning a Lynnwood Townhomes kick-for-rent contest at the Tech football game against Massachusetts on Sept. 20, Williams’ life changed, and he gained a spot on the Tech football team.